There is something about a beautiful Christmas tree that evokes trust.  Regardless of one’s spiritual beliefs, there is something universal and primal about the response to such a tree.

The trust almost seems to come from the tree itself.  Trust from the past, reflecting our enduring dependency on trees for oxygen.  Trust in the present because a beautiful Christmas tree’s energy provides complete feng shui* balance and makes us feel good.  Trust in the future because their beauty reminds us to be calm, to remember our own inner light as it is reflected from the tree’s ornaments and lights.  The trees seem to remind us to seek the consciousness of love and compassion, reminding us to care for one another.

We respond with trust to something that feels so right.  The sight of a beautiful Christmas tree can transform us with a sense of connection:  to our own spirits, to each other and to the Earth.  How great is that?!

Wishing you peace and connection, and apple pie,**

Rebecca

*Christmas Tree Feng Shui:  The ancient Chinese system for seeking harmony and the gentle flow of the life force teaches us to look for the 5 elements and a balance between yin and yang in our environments.  The triangular shape of a holiday tree and the lights represent the element of fire, the tree itself represents the element wood, the scent of pine reminds us of earth, the round ornaments represent metal, and the shiny ornaments and tinsel represent water.  The dark tree is yin and the bright ornaments and lights are yang.  Perfect!

**Apple pie for the whole party – “Slab Apple Pie,” now in the Apple Pie section of PiePals.com.  It fills a whole 9x13” cake pan, so you can serve many people with one pie!  Special thanks to Pie Pal, Havens, for sharing her recipe.

Tipping Point Season?

It feels like a tipping point:  either we choose love now, being one humanity on the same globe, or we rip it all apart in fear and greed and a willing denial.

It is December 2012, and the world is in a pretty big mess:  Global warming, wars, hunger and need, tensions among people every which way.  And at the same time, people are envisioning change, intentionally creating a more global consciousness and connectedness. 

As people approach the holiday season – solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza and other celebrations – it feels different this year.  Yes, there are tremendous social and economic pressures to buy things and to spend money (especially in our American culture), to be consumers above all else.  And yet, there is also a sense of calm and peace that seems to be emerging -- some kind of quiet, like a soft down comforter or a gentle tropical breeze enveloping the atmosphere around the globe.

People are taking time to see each other, to acknowledge that we are here together, that this is a sacred place and a special time on this planet. 

Whether we buy boots for a person living on the street, like the police officer in New York City did, or take homemade cookies to someone who lost a special person in their life this year, or adopt a family to share our blessings with, I hope all of us find a way to celebrate connection this year.  As we do, we will, indeed, bring peace on Earth.

Blessings of the season to all of us, Rebecca

P.S.  Homemade pie is one of the really good ways to bring people together!

“God is good,” said the rabbi, the priest and the minister.  No, not the opening line of a joke.  That’s really what they said last night.

The three spiritual leaders all said the same thing, adding, “And we give thanks.” 

And so it is.  With a prayer sung for peace by the rabbi, with an African folk song sung by the Catholic high school choir, and with a story from the retired Presbyterian minister, the shared energy was about being grateful to be spiritual beings having a human experience, where there is a Divine presence always with us…and to be grateful for that.

There are awful things in life.  There are many people suffering, many beings suffering.  Did you know that right now, there are bombs going off in the Middle East and dolphins are being shot in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of North America? People in the NE part of the US are still trying to get their lives together after the devastation of superstorm Sandy.  No one is denying there is suffering. 

So, let us be grateful, very grateful.  If you are reading this, you are one of the lucky ones.  You are one of the ones with abundance. 

The offering last night was taken up on behalf of the local homeless shelter [I’m visiting in the San Fernando Valley].  The director said that there are 60,000 homeless people in the Los Angeles area, that it’s the “homeless capital of America.”  There are people experiencing homelessness in every city in America, though, and we love those people.  We who are capable of love without separation or judgment, who see ourselves in the eyes of everyone around us, know that we are connected. 

Please, in gratitude for our connectedness, if you can, share with those who have less, those who will see the love in your eyes and remember hope. 

Blessings to all, Rebecca